Big Oil May Pay Billions for Climate Pollution under New Legislation
Vermont's “Climate Superfund Act” would use attribution science to force oil, gas and coal companies to cover damages associated with their emissions
The Curious Life of a ‘Grotesque’ Singing Fish
Plainfin midshipmen migrate from the deep sea to the intertidal zone to spawn, and that’s when things really get loud
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-curious-life-of-a-grotesque-singing-fish/
Cape Cod Weighs Big-Ticket Pollution Solutions
Toxic algal blooms are forcing Cape Cod communities to consider expensive sewer and septic system projects.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/cape-cod-weighs-big-ticket-pollution-solutions/
Bird Flu’s Missed Clues on Dairy Farms in Texas
Detecting bird flu signs in dairy cows sooner could have helped staunch the virus's spread
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bird-flus-missed-clues-on-dairy-farms-in-texas/
Europe's Mars Rover Will Use New Nuclear Power Source
The radioactive unit will help to deliver Europe’s first Mars rover to the planet’s surface
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/europes-mars-rover-will-use-new-nuclear-power-source/
The Artificial Intelligence Era Faces a Threat from Directed Energy Weapons
Autonomous and AI-enabled systems increasingly rely on optical and radio frequency sensors and significant computer power. They face growing vulnerabilities from directed-energy laser and microwave weapons
The Great Solar Storm of 2024 May Have Made the Strongest Auroras in Centuries
Northern and southern lights produced by a recent bout of severe space weather may rival the most intense auroras of the past 500 years
A “Zombie Expert” Shares Advice on How to Survive the Apocalypse
Cooperation theorist Athena Aktipis talks about zombies, game theory, go bags and more in her new book, A Field Guide to the Apocalypse.
Could Putting Neosporin in Your Nose Fend Off COVID?
People may someday have a surprisingly familiar tool to prevent viral infections: one of the antibiotics found in a common ointment
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-putting-neosporin-in-your-nose-fend-off-covid/
Phoenix, America’s Hottest City, Is Having a Surge of Deaths
Skyrocketing temperatures are colliding with a lack of planning in Phoenix that is contributing to a rise in heat-related deaths
Ed Dwight, America's First Black Astronaut Candidate, Flies to Space on Blue Origin Rocket
The 90-year-old finally realized his dreams of spaceflight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle, which also carried five other crew members on a short suborbital voyage
The Sordid History of U.S. Food Safety Highlights the Importance of Regulation
Author and science journalist Deborah Blum describes how an Indiana chemist kicked off the first major food regulation in the U.S.
There's a Missing Human in Misinformation Fixes
Misinformation solutions target a rational, ethical ideal who doesn’t exist; to combat misinfo, we need to start with a richer concept of the human
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/theres-a-missing-human-in-misinformation-fixes/
A Widely Used Criminal Justice Algorithm For Assessing Child Pornography Recidivism Is Flawed
The CPORT algorithm, commonly used to estimate the risk that a child pornography offender will offend again, hasn’t been validated for use in the U.S.
Quantum Internet Demonstrations Debut in Three Cities
It’s a “big deal” to demonstrate entangled quantum networks outside a lab
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quantum-internet-demonstrations-debut-in-three-cities/
Chemists Chase ‘Clean’ Ammonia to Replace Shipping Fuel
President Biden’s climate law is funding “green ammonia” projects in hopes of using the chemical to more cleanly power the grid, fuel cargo ships and make fertilizer
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chemists-chase-clean-ammonia-to-replace-shipping-fuel/
What Is Pasteurization, and How Does It Keep Milk Safe?
The pasteurization process was invented in the 1860s and continues to keep people safe from a range of foodborne illnesses
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-pasteurization-and-how-does-it-keep-milk-safe/
Hurricanes Caused Lost Income among at Least Half of Local Residents
Nearly half of residents lost income after a hurricane, a new study shows. Most were low-paid hourly workers in storefront shops
There Is Too Much Trash in Space
Debris from spacecraft threatens the burgeoning space economy. We need a global agreement to keep space clean
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-is-too-much-trash-in-space/
Proposed Plastics Law Could Slash Wasteful Packaging
A law proposed in New York State seeks to reduce plastic packaging, ban certain plastic chemicals and mandate that producers of packaged consumer goods fund the recycling or disposal of what they sell
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proposed-plastics-law-could-slash-wasteful-packaging/